The Fallen
by Cruel Angel's Love
Summary: Edward has finally gotten Alphonse's body back. They're finally happy, but at what price does happiness come? Rated for later language.
1. Happiness

**Fullmetal Alchemist: The Fallen**

**Prologue**

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**_A/N: This is what I want to happen, so just deal with it. I just watched episode 48. I don't know what AU is... :random:_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, Hughes would not be dead! And I'd be making a lot of money right now, but I don't, so yeah..._**

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Edward had finally gotten Alphonse's body back. They were happy and tired and they both had forgotten about equivalent exchange as they basked in their joy. They had defeated all the sins and no one was serioulsy hurt in the final battle.

Edward and Alphonse walked slowly out of the building that was starting to collapse. No one was inside except for them. The sun was shining down on them as they walked out into the woods. They didn't know that half of the military would jump out from behind the trees and scare them half to death.

In front of them stood GeneralRoy Mustang with his raven black hair. Next to him, his faithful First Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye.

"Fullmetal, I see you made it out alive," Mustang yelled even though Edward was standing next to him.

"Why are you yelling, Idiot?"

"Because you're way down there. I wasn't sure if you could hear me."

Suddenly, Edward lost all of his energy and didn't yell back with his usual angry rant about not being short. Edward fell to his knees and Alphonse yelped as he watched his brother fall. "Ed, are you okay?"!

"'M, fine...Alph..." Edward collapsed onto his side. Roy bent over Edward and gasped as he saw blood flowing from underneath Edward. Roy swifly lifted Edward up into his arms bridal style and carried him to the military car. "Alphonse, Hawkeye, come on."

Hawkeye drove them to the hospital while Roy and Alphonse sat in the back with Edward. Edward clung onto Roy's shirt as Roy bandaged Edward's side.

"Alphonse..." Edward whispered as he slowly opened his eyes. "What happened...?"

"You fainted, Brother... You were bleeding."

Edward coughed harshly and splattered blood onto Roy's shirt. Roy frowned and Edward fainted again. Alphonse nearly fainted as he watched his older brother.


	2. One More Time With You

**The Fallen **

Chapter 2

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Hey, I know what AU means now! Yay!

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA... Do Not Flame Me!

Oh, yeah, and this is an original poem (actually, it's a song), so shut up and no flaming! And please, review. Hehe!

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Edward was still unconscious on the hospital bed in Central. Roy and Alphonse sat with him all day and all night. Edward had been sleeping for four days straight now, and hadn't shown any sign of waking up soon.

In his sleep, Edward's mind totured him. He tossed and turned, trying to free himself from his nightmares. No one knew what he dreamed of. They thought it was his memories, popping up and toturing him.

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"Alphonse, it's been five days and you haven't slept much... You should go and rest for a bit... I can stay with Edward."

"Colonel...um... General, I couldn't do that to you..."

"When Ed wakes up; he'll be upset to know that you've been abusing your body by not sleeping..."

Alphonse tensed. "...You think...he'll be upset...?" Of course, that's not what he wanted to say, and Mustang knew it... Mustang knew the the boy wanted to say, 'You think he'll wake up?'

Mustang smiled and nodded. "Go and rest, Al."

"Yes, sir. ...And...thanks, for watching over Brother..."

"It's not a problem, Al, now go on..."

Alphonse left Roy and Edward alone in the room. Roy watched Edward as he began to toss in his sleep again. Mustang rubbed the boy's forehead and smiled. "It's gonna be all right, Fullmetal..."

_I still call him Fullmetal... Even all we've been through..._

Edward's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Mustang is surprise.

"Must...ang..."Edward managed to get out. Edward coughed and closed his eyes again, but he was smiling this time.

_Did you know about the sunny days that were waiting for us someday?_

_Didn't you hear them calling?_

_Didn't you remember all the good old days from our past?_

_Don't you want to see them again? _

_Oh, the sunny days of our past…_

_They just flew by…_

_Even though, I want them to stay…_

_And even though, I want to see them again with you…_

_I know that they'll never be back…_

_Because those sunny days…_

_They disappeared long ago…_

_And they're never coming back…_

_So, why am I asking you if you want to see them?_

_Why do I ask such silly questions of you all the time?_

_Are you gone for good?_

_Just like the days of our past?_


	3. Learning New Things

**The Fallen **

Chapter 3

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Hey, I'm updating! Finally! 

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA... Do Not Flame Me! (please)

And please, review. And thanks to the reviewers!

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"Hey, Brother, the doctors say you can go home today..." Alphonse whispered to his brother.

Edward had grown pale over the three days that he had stayed in the hospital. He was awake most of the time, but he didn't talk very much. He was too weak to do anything.

"Brother?"

"I'm fine, Alphonse..." Edward sat up and looked out the window to his right. "Can you help me up?"

"Of course." Alphonse nodded and fought the tears that threatened to fall as he placed Edward's arm around his shoulder and lifted him up from the bed. Alphonse was grateful that his brother could at least stand on his own for a short period of time now.

"Mr. Mustang is waiting outside the door for you... He's going to drive us to his house... He said we could stay there for awhile."

"Great... Pity ofMustang," Edward whispered under his breath and frowned.

A moment from earlier that week flashed in his mind. He saw Mustang sitting beside, the man looked as if he were sad and deep in thought. _God damned Mustang... I hate him... **No **I don't... **Dammit even more!** _Edward thought as he walked out the door and almost ran into Mustang.

"So... Full-Edward, how are you feeling?" Mustang smiled down at Edward, who was still pretty short...

"Much better, Colonel-General Bastard...

"Ah... I see you're feeling like your old self... It's good to have to back, _shrimp..._"

Edward didn't respond to the insult. Instead, he just walked past Mustang and sat in a chair in the waiting room and stared at a nurse that was talking to a visiter.

Alphonse sighed heavily next to the General. "Mr. Mustang, can you try not to upset Ed... He's still not feeling well and he's going to need a lot of kindness for awhile-I suppose."

"Fine... I'll try, Alphonse, but no promises."

"All I ask if for you to try. Thank you."

Alphonse and Roy walked over to Edward and walked him out of the hospital.

Outside the double doors of the hospital waited a black militairy vehicle with Riza Hawkeye sitting in the driver's seat.

After the three situated themselves in the car, conversations began to start up again. Alphonse, who sat in the front with Hawkeye, talked about the new gun Riza had aquired.

In the back of the vehicle, Edward questioned Roy on the new living arrangements.

"So, Mustang, I hear we're going to live with you..."

"You heard correctly. Do you have a problem?"

"No... It's just a bit odd..."

"Why is it odd?"

"It's odd because we're not good friends."

"No one else would take you two in."

"We don't need a place to stay... We could stay in the dorms or a hotel or something..."

"Fullmetal," Mustang started off in a serious tone, "you two need protection. You can't stay alone..."

"We can protect ourselves... We have been for years..."

"Things are different now..."

Memories flashed before the General's eyes. He saw Edward collapse onto the ground, bleeding and unconscious. He saw Edward lying in the hospital bed, pale and weak. And finally, he saw the doctor talking to him- telling him about Edward's declining health and how he might now make it another year.

Roy wondered if Edward had been told he had less than a year left. After all...Edward wasn't an adult yet and the doctor might have thought that Roy, supposedly Edward's guardian, would tell him.

"Hey, Mustang! What are you spacing out for?"!

"I was just thinking about something..." _There's no reason to tell him... Not until he asks...not until it's necessary that he knows..._

"Damned Mustang..."

"Stupid Shrimp..."


	4. He Already Knew

**The Fallen **

Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: I do not own FMA... Do Not Flame Me! (please) 

And please, review. And thanks to the reviewers!

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It had been two weeks since Edward and Alphonse had moved in with General Mustang. It was amazing how kind he could be to Edward. Mustang supposed his kindness came from the fact that he didn't know how much longer he had to spend with the young man.

The three had begun to feel accustomed to living with each other. It would be different for all of them, considering how they had never really been together before.

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"Alphonse, where's your brother?"

"He's still upstairs... I think he's still asleep."

Roy sighed and stood from the couch that he and Alphonse were sitting on. "It's time for him to get up. It's almost two o'clock."

Roy lazily walked up the staircase and opened the shared room of Edward and Alphonse. He looked in the bed and only saw a bundle of covers and a whisp of golden hair. Roy smiled at the sight and kneeled beside the bed.

"Hey, Ed, wake up," he said, poking what he guessed was Edward's head.

There was no response from the young man and Roy called again. "Edward, come on," Roy called, raising his voice slightly. Worry filled his mind as Edward stayed silent.

"Edward, wake up," Roy nearly yelled, holding back just enough so Alphonse couldn't hear him. There was a shudder underneath the blankets and Roy relaxed slightly. He shook Edward's shoulder gently and uncovered the boy.

Roy gasped when he saw Edward. Edward's face was deathly pale, along with the rest of his body. Sweat covered the boy's brow and he was shivering. Faint black circles surrounded show white eye lids and hazy golden slits stared out into an un-recognized world.

"Ed?" Roy settled his hand in front of the boy's face and yanked it back. Edward's breathing was shallow and ragged.

Edward's too weak body gasped and shuddered as his eyes opened wide to see Roy clearer. A pale, weak hand reached out for Roy's own hand. It dropped in front of Roy's hand, too weak to even touch Roy's. Roy quickly grasped Edward's pale hand and felt tears drip down his cheeks and pad gently on the covers of the bed.

"Ed... I need you to hold on... You need to go to the hospital." Edward nodded and his eye lids dropped a bit as he began to lose his grasp on the waking world.

"Ed!Stay with me!" Roy let go of Ed's hand and out in the hallway to see Alphonse already running up the stairs. Roy ducked back in the bedroom and grabbed the phone beside the bed.

He called the doctor as he stared at Edward as his brother grasped his hand and rubbed his back. The conversation with the doctor quickly faded from his mind as he stared at Edward in his dying state.

It seemed like life had frozen until the doctor came and rang the door bell, waking Alphonse and Roy out of their daze of watching Edward.

Roy ran down the stairs and opened the door for the doctor and rushed him up the stairs to the bedroom.

Edward, who was quickly fading, blinked at the doctor and smiled. He knew that his time would soon come to an end weeks ago. He knew that the General just wouldn't tell and everyone else was oblivious to what would happen.

"Ed! Edward!" Edward heard Roy yelling at him to stay awake, but the world drifted farther and farther away from him. Edward couldn't see anything. He looked around only to see darkness.

_Maybe I just closed my eyes... Maybe I'm dead... _Edward thought and a heavy fogged drifted into his mind, clouding his thoughts.

_Sorry, Alphonse..._

_I'm sorry..., Roy._


	5. The Wonderous Phoenix

**_The Fallen _**

_Chapter 5_

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Disclaimer: I do not own FMA... Do Not Flame Me! (please) _

_And please, review. And thanks to the reviewers!_

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"Hey, Colonel..."

"What is it, Full Metal?"

"You remember that I won't die before you, right?"

"Of course, Full Metal... How could I forget? You tell me everytime I see you..."

"Yeah, well, if I don't...you know...out live you... can you do me a favor?"

Mustang sighed and stopped working on his paper work. "What kind of favor, Full Metal?"

"Well, two favors..."

"What are they?"

"I want you to take care of Al... Don't let him join the military, okay?"

"Okay, I think I can do that."

"Oh, and get him a cat... I never let him have one..."

"All right. What is the other favor?"

"Can you..."

"Can I what, Full Metal?"

"Can you burn my body...? I want to be cremated... I can be like the Phoenix..."

"Full Metal..."

"Did you know that the Phoenix dies and burns into a pile of ashes... And out of those ashes rises the wonderous Phoenix again..."

"You don't plan on dying on me any time soon, do you, Full Metal?"

"Of course not... I just want to make sure everything is taken care of."

"Fine."

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Mustang frowned at the memory. He stared down at the casket in front of him. It had been handcarved by one of the best coffin makers in all of Amestris. It cost Mustang, Hawkeye, and whoever else chipped in a large amont of money, but they didn't care. It was for one of their dearest and youngest friends... Edward Elric... 

Edward had died two days ago and his funeral was on a Saturday. The sun was shining down on them, cheerfully. On Mustang's way to the funeral, he saw children playing in their yard, smiling and giggling. They were playing with a bright red ball that looked like the rose Hawkeye had just placed on the casket.

Alphonse sniffled and buried his face in Hawkeye's shoulder. The boy had been crushed when his brother had died, after all, he was in the room when his brother passed away. A young boy shouldn't have to witness the death of his brother...no matter who they were.

"Are you ready, Full Metal," Mustang whispered. "Are you ready to become a Phoenix...?"

A bird flew across the sky right above Mustang and Mustang shivered. "I'll take that as a yes."

Mustang pulled on his white ignition gloves and smiled. "Good-bye, Phoenix..." Mustang snapped his fingers and lit the casket on fire. It burned for a few minutes and then nothing was left but ashes and somehow, magically, the red rose on top of the casket was just barely covered by the ashes.

Mustang smiled and picked up the rose. He stared at it for a few moments and knelt down in front of Alphonse, who had collapsed to his knees and was still holding onto Hawkeye.

"Here, Alphonse, I think you should keep this... You can think of it as a part of your brother..."

Alphonse smiled weakly and nodded his head as he took the rose in his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Mustang..."

"You're welcome, Alphonse..." Mustang took Alphonse's hand in his and stood the boy up. "Come, it's getting late, and you need to go home before you get sick. You need to get a good night's rest tonight. Tomorrow, we're going out to the country..."

Alphonse nodded as he walked beside Mustang, small hands wrapping around large gloved hands.

And they walked in the direction of the setting sun. Where the blood red sky met the baby blue sky...clashing and fighting for the right to stay in the sky...

"Mr. Mustang..."

"Yes, Alphonse?"

"When I hold the rose up in front of the sun...I see a golden bird..."

_**And the wonderous Phoenix rises again...**_


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